Blog
News

EU ambassador: Speed of integration laws must not weaken parliamentary oversight

EU Ambassador to Albania Sofia Moreira de Sousa said Albania must continue reforms and secure irreversible results on its path towards European Union membership. Speaking at the 22nd EU-Albania Parliamentary Stabilisation and Association Committee meeting, she stressed the importance of parliamentary oversight, transparency and public consultation in drafting and adopting …

Read More
News

“Europexplores”: Albania Takes the Crown as Europe’s Best Travel Destination

Albania is attracting growing attention in Europe. Travel platform “Europexplores” has highlighted the country as a top holiday destination. It has praised Albania’s coastline, historic cities and mountain landscapes. In an Instagram post, the platform used the headline “Albania takes the crown as Europe’s best travel destination.” Albanian media also …

Read More
News

Special Olympics Albania Wins Three Medals at Malta Open 2026

Albanian Special Olympics swimmers represented Albania for the first time at the “Malta Open 2026.” They delivered an impressive performance and returned home with one gold and two silver medals. Iris Hoxha won first place in the 100-meter freestyle. Gersi Troka finished second in the 50-meter butterfly. Joel Gërmënji took …

Read More
News

Tirana International Film Festival opens its 24th edition

The 24th Tirana International Film Festival opens tonight and runs through September 27. The festival brings 230 feature-length and short films to the capital under this year’s theme, “Bring It Back! Humanography.” The programme focuses on human stories, emotions and individual experiences through cinema. The Albanian Telegraphic Agency remains an …

Read More
News

INSTAT: Online sales rise as Albanian businesses expand digital services

Albanian businesses made further progress in digitalisation in 2026, according to data published by INSTAT. The main trends include higher use of online sales, cloud services, enterprise resource planning systems and artificial intelligence. Online sales saw the strongest growth. INSTAT said 31.3% of businesses with 10 or more employees sold …

Read More
News

Rama: “Mountain Package” Best Way to Expand Agritourism Businesses

Prime Minister Edi Rama today highlighted the benefits that the “Mountain Package” offers to individuals interested in investing in agritourism. Rama referred to the story of Entela, who decided with her family to return to Koman and establish a guesthouse. He said the “Mountain Package” was designed specifically to support …

Read More
News

Rama: “Mountain Package” Best Way to Expand Agritourism Businesses

Prime Minister Edi Rama today highlighted the benefits that the “Mountain Package” offers to individuals interested in investing in agritourism. Rama referred to the story of Entela, who decided with her family to return to Koman and establish a guesthouse. He said the “Mountain Package” was designed specifically to support …

Read More
News

Rama Shares Images from Korça Little Paris Half Marathon 2026

Prime Minister Edi Rama today shared images from preparations for the international “Korça Little Paris Half Marathon 2026.” “Korça is running,” Rama wrote on social media as he shared footage from today’s race. Meanwhile, participants received race packages that included a race shirt, bag, bib number and timing chip. The …

Read More
News

Rama Shares Images from Korça Little Paris Half Marathon 2026

Prime Minister Edi Rama today shared images from preparations for the international “Korça Little Paris Half Marathon 2026.” “Korça is running,” Rama wrote on social media as he shared footage from today’s race. Meanwhile, participants received race packages that included a race shirt, bag, bib number and timing chip. The …

Read More
News

Rama: Agreements with Communities to Protect Nature in Tourist Areas

Prime Minister Edi Rama said today that the Ministry of Environment will establish agreements with communities in tourist areas to strengthen environmental protection and improve cleaning efforts. Speaking on the podcast “Flasim,” Rama focused on environmental protection and wildfire prevention, particularly in forest areas with tourism potential. “We will test …

Read More
News
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: September 28, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News
Albanian MPs join regional meeting on parliamentary integrity

A delegation of the Albanian Parliament took part in the Regional Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Clinic in Beciq, Montenegro, on September 24–26. MPs Milva Ekonomi, Antoneta Dhima and Kliti Hoti represented the Parliament. The National Democratic Institute organised the event with the Parliament of Montenegro. The meeting brought together MPs and parliamentary …

News
Speaker Peleshi: Public support in EU states key to Albania’s accession

Albanian Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi said direct engagement with citizens and communities in EU member states is essential for the success of Albania’s EU integration process. He made the remarks at a conference with representatives of Albanian institutions and the European Parliament. Peleshi said enlargement cannot rely only on political …

News
Health Minister Spahiu: Health structures to be reorganised around citizens’ needs

Health and Social Protection Minister Klodiana Spahiu visited health facilities in Mallakastër to review investments, services and staff work. The visit took place as part of a process to restructure and reorganise health facilities. The process aims to align their capacities with community needs. Spahiu said the reorganisation aims to …

News
PM Rama: EU must not leave Western Balkans behind again

Prime Minister Edi Rama has called on the European Union not to leave the Western Balkans behind again. He said failure to integrate the region would also be a major failure for Europe. Rama spoke at the Inter-parliamentary Conference “Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Membership”. He said Albania …

News
EU Enlargement Commissioner Kos says Albania is on track for membership

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Albania is on the right track toward European Union membership in an interview with France 24. She included Albania among four countries currently making the most progress in the accession process. Kos described 2026 as a high-paced year for EU enlargement. She said …

News
European Parliament Albania rapporteur Schieder: Albania can join EU within decade

Andreas Schieder, the European Parliament rapporteur for Albania, said the country has entered the final phase of its EU membership negotiations. He said Albania can close the remaining chapters within the set deadlines. Schieder spoke at the Interparliamentary Conference “Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Membership” in Tirana. He …

News
EU ambassador Moreira de Sousa: Albania advances, but reforms must be implemented

European Union Ambassador to Albania Sofia Moreira de Sousa said Albania has entered a new phase of its EU membership process. She noted that the country has opened all six negotiating clusters and provisionally closed three. Moreira de Sousa spoke at a conference with representatives of Albanian institutions and the …

News
European Parliament foreign affairs chief McAllister: EU should advance talks as Albania reforms

European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman David McAllister said the European Union should advance membership negotiations whenever countries meet reform conditions. He spoke at the Interparliamentary Conference “Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Membership” in Tirana. McAllister said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has increased the strategic importance of EU …

News
Golden Autumn in the Tirana Highlands, from Shënmëri to Mount Meçeku

Autumn has begun to paint Tirana’s mountains in golden colors. After a long and scorching summer, golden grass now covers the slopes, while red shrubs add warmer tones. At the same time, green trees still dominate parts of the landscape, creating striking combinations of green, yellow, brown and red. A …

News

Monday Briefing from the Balkans: September 28, 2026

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

News

Albanian MPs join regional meeting on parliamentary integrity

A delegation of the Albanian Parliament took part in the Regional Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Clinic in Beciq, Montenegro, on September 24–26. MPs Milva Ekonomi, Antoneta Dhima and Kliti Hoti represented the Parliament. The National Democratic Institute organised the event with the Parliament of Montenegro. The meeting brought together MPs and parliamentary …

News

Speaker Peleshi: Public support in EU states key to Albania’s accession

Albanian Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi said direct engagement with citizens and communities in EU member states is essential for the success of Albania’s EU integration process. He made the remarks at a conference with representatives of Albanian institutions and the European Parliament. Peleshi said enlargement cannot rely only on political …

News

Health Minister Spahiu: Health structures to be reorganised around citizens’ needs

Health and Social Protection Minister Klodiana Spahiu visited health facilities in Mallakastër to review investments, services and staff work. The visit took place as part of a process to restructure and reorganise health facilities. The process aims to align their capacities with community needs. Spahiu said the reorganisation aims to …

News

PM Rama: EU must not leave Western Balkans behind again

Prime Minister Edi Rama has called on the European Union not to leave the Western Balkans behind again. He said failure to integrate the region would also be a major failure for Europe. Rama spoke at the Inter-parliamentary Conference “Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Membership”. He said Albania …

News

EU Enlargement Commissioner Kos says Albania is on track for membership

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Albania is on the right track toward European Union membership in an interview with France 24. She included Albania among four countries currently making the most progress in the accession process. Kos described 2026 as a high-paced year for EU enlargement. She said …

News

European Parliament Albania rapporteur Schieder: Albania can join EU within decade

Andreas Schieder, the European Parliament rapporteur for Albania, said the country has entered the final phase of its EU membership negotiations. He said Albania can close the remaining chapters within the set deadlines. Schieder spoke at the Interparliamentary Conference “Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Membership” in Tirana. He …

News

EU ambassador Moreira de Sousa: Albania advances, but reforms must be implemented

European Union Ambassador to Albania Sofia Moreira de Sousa said Albania has entered a new phase of its EU membership process. She noted that the country has opened all six negotiating clusters and provisionally closed three. Moreira de Sousa spoke at a conference with representatives of Albanian institutions and the …

News

European Parliament foreign affairs chief McAllister: EU should advance talks as Albania reforms

European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman David McAllister said the European Union should advance membership negotiations whenever countries meet reform conditions. He spoke at the Interparliamentary Conference “Strategic Agenda for EU Enlargement and Albania’s Membership” in Tirana. McAllister said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has increased the strategic importance of EU …

News

Golden Autumn in the Tirana Highlands, from Shënmëri to Mount Meçeku

Autumn has begun to paint Tirana’s mountains in golden colors. After a long and scorching summer, golden grass now covers the slopes, while red shrubs add warmer tones. At the same time, green trees still dominate parts of the landscape, creating striking combinations of green, yellow, brown and red. A …